Snowplow



Dec. 18, 1928.1.

J. MUSIL. r-:r AL

SNOWPLOW Filed Sept. 27, 192i 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented 18, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES MUSE AND DAVID HUTCHISON GILGHBIST, OF OLIVIA, MINNESOTA.

SNOWPLOW.

Application filed September 27, 1927. Serial No. 222,339.

This invention relates to snow plows articularly adapted for clearingsnow rom roadways and adapted to be driven by a tractor or othersuitable propelling means which may be either permanently or temporarilattached to the snow plow proper, as ma e desired.

ne object of our invention is to provide a snow plow of strong andrelatively simple construction, which is efficient in operation andwhich, when in use, is not likely to require frequentmechanical-adjustments or replacements.

Another object of our invention 15 to provide a snow plow which isadapted to remove from roadways snow deposits of varying thickness andto convey the snow after removal to a location off of the roadway. Withthe aboveand other objects in View, which will be hereinafter apparent,the 1nvention consists in certain novel details of construction andcombination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate likeparts in the several views and:

Figure 1 is a side view of a snow plow constructed in accord with ourpresent invention with part of the side out away to show the agitatingor snow breaking device and other parts of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a plan view with part of the top cut away also to show theagitating devices and fans;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the apparatus;

Fig. 4 is' a side view showing in dotted lines the driving gears bywhich the agitator and fans mounted at the end of the agitator shaft maybe driven at relatively different speeds;

Fig. 5 is a. detail plan view of the agitator shaft showing one ofthefans as mounted thereon, together with gearing for driving thershaft'andfan at different speeds.

In the embodiment of the invention as illustrated, there is provideda-casing 1 at the forward portion of the apparatus, which casing isclosed at its ends by end walls 2 and which at its front is providedwith a slidable closure 3 suitably mounted in the side walls 2 so thatit may be raised or lowered to provide an opening 4 of any desiredheight or width within certain limits between the roadway and the loweredge of the slidable closure or adjustable door 3.

At the lower rear portion of easing 1 a cutter 5 is mounted so that itmay operate in close and adjustable proximity to the roadway. In therear of the casing 1 another casing 6 is mounted within which rotates asuction fan 10. Transverse of the casin 1 is a horizontal shaft 7mounted and having lts ends positioned in suitable bearings at the sidesof the casing 1 and upon this shaft a plurality of agitating arms orsnow breaking devices 7 are fixedly mounted for rotation with the shaft7. As shown, the radial agitating or snow breaking arms 7 may beprovidedat their ends with sharpened points to facilitate breaking up ofsnow, with which they may come in contact during their rotation. Theshaft 7 is provided with a suitable device for positively driving thesame, which may comprise a gear wheel fixed upon the shaft, which may bedriven by a worm gear 8 through a shaft 9 by an engine 11 or othersuitable desired source of power. Such engine or source of power may bearranged for operation of the snow plow mechanism exclusively or may, ifdesired, be utilized both for the purpose of operating the snow plowmechanism and for driving a tractor or propelling device (not shown), bymeans of which the snow plow may be propelled over a roadway. A suitableclutch mechanism 11 of any usual or desired construction may be providedbetween the primary source of power 11 and the shaft 9. v

A suitable frame 12 carries the casings 1 and 6 and associated mechanismtogether with the engine or other suitable source of power 11 and ismounted upon wheels carried on an axle 13, between which and the framesuitable worm gearing 14 or other mechanism may be provided for raisingor lowering the front of the snow plow and associated mechanism to meetvarying conditions of operation.

Adjacent the ends of the shaft 7, fans 15 are mounted, the blades ofwhich are inclined so as to exert a propelling force or draught from thesides of the casmg 1 inwardly towards the center of the casing. Thesefans may either be mounted fixedly upon the shaft 7 (as shown in Fig. 2)or may, if desired and preferably, be mounted (as shown in Fig. 5)loosely upon the shaft 7, in connection'with a suitable gear systemwhich may comprise gears 16, 17, 18 and 19 mounted, respectively, uponthe shaft 7, which carries the gear 16, upon a stub shaft carried by theframe 12 upon which the gears 17 and 18 are mounted for rotationtogether) and upon the hub or collar of the fan 15 to which the gear 19is fixedly attached, by means of which (or any desired equivalent gearsystem) the fans 15 may be rotated at a different or greater speed thanthe shaft 7 and its attached agitating arms 7, in order that the fans 15may have a suflicient speed to effect the desired propulsion of .thesnow disintegrated by the breaking arms or agitators 7'.

In the operation of the snow plow, constructed as described and inaccord with our present in ention, the apparatus as an entirety will bedriven or pushed by any suitable source of power or traction (which asheretofore stated may be operated by the englne 11, or may be a separateand independent source of traction mounted rearwardly of the snow' plowitself).

By means of the adjusting device 14, the front of the snow plow will beadjusted so that the cutter 5 and ends of the snow breaking andagitating arms 7 will make desired contact with the snow at a suitabledepth below its surface and in suitable proximity to the surface of theroadway itself, as may be required, or desirable for varying conditionsof snow deposits and road surfaces. The agitating arms 7 being driventogether with the shaft 7 from the engine 11 or other suitable source ofpower serve to disintegrate the snow deposit and the arms 7 incooperation with the cutter 5 cause the snow to be taken into the casing1, in which the snow will usually be disintegrated and disseminated infinely divided condition. The disintegrated particles of snow agitatedwith air within the cas ing 1 willbe subjected to the impelling force ordraught of fans 15, which impel the particles of snow from the sides ofthe casing 1 toward the center of the latter and from the centralportion of the casing 1 the suction fan 10 will draw the particles ofsnow and the air current associated therewith into the fan casing 6,whence by the action of the fan 10 the snow is blown out through theconduit 6' with sufiicient force to remove the snow from the roadwayproper which is being cleared.

The sliding closure or door 3 will ordinarily be adjusted so that itslower edge will be adjacent to or slightly below the surface of the snowdeposit, thus avoiding any tendency for snow to be blown out in thefront of the ap-' paratus by the force of the fans 15.

A special advantage of our present invention in its preferredembodiment, as slibwn in Fig. 5, is that by suitable ratios of gearing,the fans 15 and disintegrators or snow breaking arms 7 may each bedriven at a speed which is most eflicient for their independent primaryfunctions. However, it may be satisfactory, under certain conditions ofoperation, to mount the fans 15 fixedly upon the shaft 7 so that inoperation they will have thesame speed of rotation as the arms 7 Whetheror not the snow plow is constructed with the fans'15 fixedly mountedupon the shaft .7, or whether they are mounted for rotation at adifferent or higher speed thanthe shaft 7 (as shown in Fig. 5) will inpart depend upon theconditions under which the apparatus is particularlydesigned for operation.

The direction of revolution of the shaft 7 and agitator arms is suchthat the ends of the agitator arms 7 move from the bottom positiontoward the front of the snow plow and by their action the snow is brokenup into Very fine particles even when very hard and frozen. 7

Having thus described our invention, what We claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent is:

1. In a snow plow, in combination, a series of agitating arms, arotatable shaft on which said arms are mounted, and fans mounted on saidshaft at the ends thereof adapted to blow snow toward the centralportion of the shaft, a casing within which the shaft, agitating armsand fans are mounted, means for rotating the shaft, agitating arms andfans, and means for conveying snow from the casing.

2. In a snow plow, in combination, agitator arms and fans adapted tooperate in proXimity to the surface of a roadway and to remove,

